Thursday, May 10, 2007

Dutch hate being Dutch and/or European.

The Dutch are least proud to be European of all the EU countries' citizens. They also take little pride in being Dutch, according to research by the Socio-Cultural Planning Bureau (SCP) and Central Planning Bureau (CPB).

Only 7 percent of the Dutch are 'very proud' to be European, compared with an EU average of 16 percent. Also, only 29 percent are very proud to be Dutch. Only Germans (23 percent) are less pleased with themselves. On average, 48 percent of the Europeans are 'very proud' of their own country.

Support for further EU enlargement has dropped among the Dutch to 45 percent - also the average in the 'old' member states - from 58 percent in 2001. In the new member states, 67 percent back further enlargement.

Remarkable is the way in which the survey measures support for the European Constitution. SCP says 59 percent of the Dutch are against an EU Constitution. At the same time, the accompanying table shows that 59 percent are in favour. This is not a typing error, but the number that "wholly or somewhat" support the Constitution, an explanatory note says.